Photographic agitator



Aug. 3o, 1949.

Filed Feb. lO, 1947 L. GAY 2,480,236

PHOTOGRAPHIC AGITATOR 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Gld TCTICC HTTOR/VEX Aug. 30, 1949. v c. L. GAY 2,480,236

PHOTOGRAPHIC AGITATOR 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 10, 1947 INVENTOR. Clarence L. Gay

TORNEI Patented Aug. 30, 1949 iT OFFIC E PHOTOGRAPHIC AGITATOR CIarence Gay, Detroit, Mich.

Application February 10, 1947, Serial M22-7,694

9 Claims. l

. .This invention.relatestoapparatus for devel- (ming. photographic iilm or platesandforwashing.photographic..prints,anel.has for itsobject the.-provision of f -a device for: mechanically Aagi-- tating the photographic film .or .plate Within .the developing solution and for mechanically agitatingthe photograph washingbath.

A In the fdevelopingandprinting of photographs, itis necessarycto effect .relative movement between .photograph filmand photographsand the developervsolution-and washingbath over arelatively long. period-.of timevvhich is tedious and time :consuming Wheneffectedmanually. It is, therefore, an object. ofthe invention to provide 'a..simple.. and .economical means by which the Operator, after. setting the. nlm and photographic sheets vin their proper. baths,. canfeffect. mechanical ..-agitation. or. relative -movement .between the baths and the. lm ola-prints .over any vdesired timingperiod Without attention.

Another object of the invention is the provision of y.a photographicagitator.providing for. the mechanical tilting. .of :Washing .trays -to secure an oscillation vof the washingbath over. photographic sheets placed in the traywith `or: without concurrent movementof photograph lmor plates in a .developer solution.

Another .objectu of the. invention is thev provision of aphotographic` agitator in accordance with the precedingobject .inwhich themechanism for tilting thetrays and moving the film or plates arecounterbalanced to. minimize the re- 4quired power.

Otherobjects. andfeaturcsof .the-invention will blelreadily, apparent tothose-skilled in the art f.

. Figure, 41s a detailviewon the line IV-IV of `Figure 2.

Figure -.isadetail partial vievv of an alterna- .tive developer .agitator construction.

Thephotographic .agitator, according -to the present invention. comprisesa cabinetindicated generally ati, having a top platform 2v and a bottom platform .3... Inset in the to'p platform 2 area. pair. of Washingtrays 5 andi.. Between the trays 5 and 6 the platform 2 'is provided. with an fh 2. opening T'leading into. a compartment 8 anove platform 3T. Within thecompartment. upon intermediate platform .4. aredisposed tanks .9i for the reception of a developer. solution.. Hingedly mountedon the platforml are covers vl I,.l22and i'for the trays 5 and. S' 'and theo'pening y1.

Upon the platform 321s mounted a driving mw tor i4 heltedto a pulley I5 drivinga crank I6 through asuitable reduction gear I'1. To theend of the crank H5 is pivotally connected a link I8, Whose upper end is pivoted `to a reciprocating block i9'. The upper'endof block IS'is slotted at 2l to pivotally receivea link 22 pivoted'oria xed bracket 23.' At'the end 'of the link 22 is pivotally 'mountedga reciprocable r'od 23 'extending .through theplatform 2 and terminating in a connecting forin- 25 thereabove. Upon the underside of'plat- 'form 2 are mounted stationary` fulcrums in. which are pivotally mounted at 26 and 21 a, pair of levers 28'and 29 pivoted'at'their adjacent ends to a transverse bar 3i mounted on the r'od 24. .The outside ends of thelevers 28 Yand 29 are pivotally connected to plates 32 `and 33 extending through openings 34 and 35 in platform..2 into engagement with the trays 'and 6, adjacent the ends .thereof At the upper end of the bl'ockllll is a p'in 36 upon which are piv'oted a pair of levers 31 and 38 'having' forked ends 39; 4| pivoted on station'H ary brackets 42, 42 and"43, 43'and .provided with end' slots 44 receiving the transversely bent-ends 4'5` of vvertically reciprocable rods 45. extending through platforms Z'and 4 at opposite sides of the tank 9L. The upper ends of rods 46 arejoined in-pairs at opposite sides of tank Sby transverse straps 41, 48 having end portions serving as mounts for, the reception `of photographic plate holders'indicated at 5| anddisposed to extend into the developer tank 9.

In. theoperation of the machine inthe arrangement `of, Figures 1 to 4, operation of the motor i4" will effect rotation of the crank I6 and vertical reciprocatio'n of the block I9. Reciprocation of the block I9 will, through oscillating. levers 31, 38 and rods 46', effect vertical'reciprocation of the 'plate holders 54 and of the photographic vplates mounted therein within the developer tanks 9'. The cover |.2 may be closed duringthis operation, `particularly with very fast negatives to exclude .light therefrom. Concurrently with the reciprocation of the negatives, the levers Eiland 2S are oscillated about the fulcrum pivots 25`an`d 21 throughitheir connection-With the reciprocating rod 24 and the plates 32 '.and engage the ends'of the Washing trays 5 Aand 6 to eiTect oscillation thereof and movement of the washing bath over prints placed therein. The washing of the negatives and prints may thus take place concurrently by mechanical D- eration for any time intervals desired by the operator without the usual tedious manual operations.

One feature of the invention lies in the counterbalancing of the moving parts whereby the trays and E are elevated when the holders 5! are lowered and vice versa so that a minimum of torque and power are required from motor I4 to perform the mechanical operation.

In Figure 5 there is shown an alternative construction for the developing of roll film negatives. In this arrangement there is mounted on the platform 2 over the opening 1 a platform 55 in which is disposed a rockable seat 56 to which is connected the connecting form on the rod 24. Upon the seat 56 is adapted to be mounted a receptacle 5l in which roll film is disposed. In this arrangement reciprocation of the rod 24 eiects a rocking or oscillating motion of the seat 56 and agitation of the developer solution therein.

While certain preferred embodiments of the invention have vbeen speciiically disclosed, it is understood that the invention is not limited thereto, as many variations will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art and the invention is to be given its broadest possible interpretation within the terms of the following claims:

What is claimed is;

1. Photographic apparatus comprising a support, a washing pan on said support, an oscillating lever adapted to engage one end of said washing pan to effect oscillation thereof about its opposite end, a rockable seat, a reciprocable rod connected to said seat, a film and developer receptacle mounted on said seat, means interconnecting said oscillating lever and reciprocable rod, and motor means for concurrently reciprocating said rod and oscillating said lever to oscillate said pan and receptacle.

2. Photographic apparatus comprising a working platform having a plurality of openings therethrough, a Washing pan disposed on said platform with an end thereof above one of said openings, means extending through said one of said openings into engagement `with said end of said washing pan to effect oscillatory movement thereof, a developer pan supported with at least its main body portion beneath another of said platform openings, reciprocable supports extending above said platform on opposite sides of said developer pan and adapted for the reception of nlm holders to be disposed for reciprocating movement within said pan, and motor driven means for effecting movement of said supports and of said washing pan oscillating means to effect concurrent relative movement between the baths in said tank and pan and the photographic elements therein.

S. Photographic apparatus comprising a rotatable crank, a reciprocable member driven from said crank, a pair of levers pivotally mounted intermediate their ends and connected at their adjacent ends to said reciprocable member, a pair of reciprocable supports connected to the oppomeans adjacent the remote ends of said second pair of levers engaging each an end of one of said washing pans to eifect oscillation thereof to agitate the bath therein.

4. Photographic apparatus comprising a motor driven crank, a reciprocable member driven by said crank, a pair of levers pivoted intermediate their ends and connected at their adjacent ends to said reciprocable member, a pair of reciprocable supports connected to the remote ends of said levers and extending upwardly therefrom, and a developer tank disposed between said reciprocable supports and adapted to receive a lm holder mounted on said supports and disposed in the tank for reciprocation therein.

5. Photographic apparatus comprising a motor driven crank, a reciprocable member driven by said crank, a pair of levers pivoted intermediate their ends, means connecting the adjacent ends of said levers to said reciprocable member, a pair of washing trays disposed adjacent the remote ends of said levers, and means connected to the remote ends of said levers and engaging said washing trays each adjacent one end thereof to effect oscillation of the trays and movement of the baths therein.

6. Photographic apparatus comprising a motor driven crank, a reciprocable member driven by said crank, a pair of levers pivoted intermediate their ends, means connecting the adjacent ends of said levers to said reciprocable member, a pair of washing trays disposed adjacent the remote ends of said levers, and means connected to the remote ends of said levers and engaging said washing trays each adjacent one end thereof to effect oscillation of the trays and movement of the baths therein, a rocking seat for a developer receptacle and means for connecting said reciprocable member to said rocking seat to effect oscillation thereof and of a developer receptacle mounted thereon.

'7. Photographic apparatus comprising a working platform having a plurality of openings therethrough, a washing pan disposed on said platform with an end thereof above one of said openings, means extending through said one of said openings into engagement with said end of said washing pan to effect oscillatory movement thereof, a developer pan supported with at least its main body portion beneath another of said platform openings, reciprocable supports extending above said platform on opposite sides of said developer pan and adapted for the reception of lm holders to be disposed for reciprocating movement within said pan, and motor driven means for effecting movement of said Supports and of said washing pan oscillating means to effect concurrent relative movement between the baths in said tank.

and pan and the photographic elements therein, said means effecting movement of said pan and supports in opposite directions so that one is rising as the other is falling whereby their weights tend to counterbalance.

8. Photographic apparatus comprising a support, Va developer tank on said support, a reciprocable member, a pair of oppositely directed levers pivoted to said member and pivotally mounted on xed brackets, said levers having divided ends so that each is of generally Y shape, a plurality of reciprocable rods disposed in pairs at opposite sides of said tank, each of said'rods being pivotally connected to a lever end, and negative holder supports mounted on the upper ends of said rods and positioning the negative for reciprocation within the tank.

9. Photographic apparatus comprising a support, a developer tank on said support, a reciprocable member, a pair of oppositely directed levers pivoted to said member and pivotally mounted on fixed brackets, said levers having divided ends so that each is of generally Y shape, a plurality of reciprocable rods disposed in pairs at opposite sides of said tank, each of said rods being pivotally connected to a lever end, negative holder supports mounted on the upper ends of said rods and positioning the negative for reciprocation within the tank, a lever pivotally mounted at one end to said reciprocabie member and pivotally mounted intermediate its ends on a. fixed bracket, a reciprocable rod pivotally connected to the opposite end of said last mentioned lever, a second pair of oppositely directed levers pivoted at their adjacent ends to said last mentioned reciprocable rod and pivotally mounted intermediate their ends 6 in fixed brackets, and a pair of washing pans on said support positioned above the remote ends of v,said second pair of levers to be oscillated thereby.

CLARENCE L. GAY.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 550,599 Dickerson Dec. 3,1895 766,483 Wolfe Aug. 2, 1904 885,492 Larson Apr. 21, 1908 1,205,708 Caldwell Nov. 21, 1916 2,349,028 Wildman May 16, 1944 2,384,898 Dietert Sept. 18, 1945 

